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ISL are proud to release Team ISL, the newest brand which top selected players from the United States will represent when competing in the highest level soccer tournaments and competitions around the world.
Over the past several years, ISL’s travel management group have been managing teams competing alongside the strongest brands in the game of soccer. With the launch of the Team ISL brand, ISL have ensured those top selected players that wear the ISL jersey always have a memorable experience with a strong brand.
The core of the Team ISL brand aligns with powerful values, effort and victory. These values helped guide the development of Team ISL to meet the vision of our Travel Management group. Effort and victory are values that will be on show for years to come under Team ISL, alongside other world class aspiring athletes.
Once again the ISL directors and executives team got together to welcome in the new year as a company and to level set from our last family get together in Barcelona, 2019. Over the course of the week we heard from each of the department heads about the progress of each team, the vision for 2020 and how we could each partner up together in expanding the ISL brand around the globe, all the while giving our clients the best possible experience.
Ahead of the company’s 7th anniversary in May, both co-founders Alex and Marc, took the opportunity to share their gratitude to all in attendance for of the hard work and efforts being poured into expanding the ISL brand into new markets, as well as set the stage for the presentation portion of the corporate meetup by giving a high level overview from the past year to date.
In addition to the presentations from the more visible parts of the company, back office departments including marketing, HR and operations were also given the chance to share updates to processes, discuss current statuses and give future outlooks. Overall, the time spent together and hearing from each department gave each of us a better perspective of the hard work and efforts being put forth to truly deliver an unparalleled experience for our clients and guests into focus.
That said, it couldn’t be all work and no play. Once the corporate portion was taken care of and out of the way, we (as a family) took the opportunity to explore the city that never sleeps by taking in the local cultural flair and fun that makes up this eclectic destination spot of the U.S. and has become a global home of our headquarters.
Unfortunately, like all good things, it must come to an end and our trip was soon over. However our engines were all refueled to tackle new opportunities ahead, relationships strengthened and fortified, but more importantly know that we are working together as a team and that we have each others backs.
Watch out 2020!
Rebranding can be a scary process. There is a lot of thought and work put behind it, and execution is everything. So, after 5 years of successfully running as ISL Futbol the decision was made to drop the “futbol” portion of the moniker and operate simply as ISL to springboard our co-founders vision into other sporting verticals outside of soccer.
Not only did we tackle a rebrand, but the decision was made to uproot from our U.S. based headquarters in Charlotte, NC to the warm, sun-kissed beaches of Miami, FL. From the outside looking in the move may or may not have made sense, but to us as a sports marketing agency the optics of everything that go into being a premier, global, client facing company and the way we are able to service those clients, as well as attack new sports entertainment ventures, the choice was a no brainer.
Recently Marc Segarra (Co-founder/Managing Partner ISL) and Tim Bailey (Dir. of Business Development) sat down to discuss the rebrand and move to Miami in further detail. To learn more about the thoughts that inevitably pushed ISL to pivot in a new direction follow this link.
In early January, the ISL team attended United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago, IL. It’s an excellent opportunity to connect with brands, clubs, technology startups, and other major players in the soccer industry across the United States and around the world. Our executives spent their time in meetings, connecting with new leads, and drinking too much coffee.
Apart from being over caffeinated, ISL also had a booth set up on the convention floor. In mid 2018, ISL went through a major rebrand effort, and it was a wonderful way to introduce the new brand to the Soccer Industry. Apart from introducing the new brand, ISL were also showcasing its travel management services. ISL provide opportunities for players to compete against European competition and experience new cultures that broaden young players horizons. ISL’s travel management team also provide services to partners or clients aiding in logistical headaches that come with large scale trips. We can help if you manage large scale trips.
Check out some of the event highlights tracked through social media during the event!
Get in contact with someone from our travel management team at Experience@islagency-old.nntesting.com for more information on how we can help mange your next major travel plans.
When ISL Foundation had the opportunity to work alongside Sil Ganzó (Founder and Executive Director) and ourBRIDGE for KIDS (Charlotte, NC) we jumped at the chance.
ourBRIDGE for KIDS is a not-for-profit organization that supports refugee and immigrant communities in Charlotte by offering a one-of-a-kind enrichment program for newly arrived and 1st generation American children. They advocate for the success, happiness and fair treatment of all immigrant families as they acculturate to the United States.
As a family ourselves, ISL is made up of a team of people with ties to different parts of the world, including Brazil, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, United Kingdom, etc… so being able to partner up with ourBRIDGE has always been a privilege for us to be a part of.
Recently we had the opportunity, in conjunction with our partnership with Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona) and toc ball to spend an afternoon with the kids, as part of a better health initiative for juveniles that involves getting them off the couch and away from any electronic devices, to be more active outdoors.
We were beyond grateful to Xavi and toc ball for their generous contribution of 50 trainers for each of the kids to go home with and begin learning new skills, which will be both beneficial to their health and when getting out on the field to play.
To learn more about ourBRIDGE for KIDS and how you can get involved please follow this link https://www.joinourbridge.org/
This past November, Ivan Rakitic made a special appearance during one of the International ISL Experience Events. ISL are lucky to have strong relationships with talented individuals around the world, and were equally lucky to host Ivan Rakitic during his appearance.
Hosting big name athletes is always a special occasion for ISL and its Travel Management team. ISL would like to thank Ivan, he helped make it a day to remember for hundreds of young, aspiring athletes!
Get in contact with someone from our travel management team at Experience@islagency-old.nntesting.com for more information on how we can help mange your next major travel plans.
In mid November of 2018, ISL had the opportunity to attend of the most prestigious sports business conferences in the world, Soccerex USA.
Soccerex USA, taking place in Miami, Florida, was an awesome event, and provided some great insight into where the industry of Soccer around the globe, specifically in the United States, is headed. Read up on some of the major insights ISL discovered, as well as some of the social media highlights around the Soccerex community:
The key indicator of how serious leaders of the worlds game are taking the women’s game, is the separation of team assets. Media rights and sponsorship have been parceled out separately at clubs around the world. In the past, assets associated with a club’s Women’s team would be perceived as an “add on” to the men’s team, whereas now they are their own outright asset for sale for major clubs.
The overarching theme taken away from the event was the seriousness in the interest of the game in the United States. We’ve always heard soccer called “The Worlds Game”, when in reality it was more like “The Worlds Game Minus The United States”. But now, you can feel the interest from international clubs and federations in capitalizing on the commercialization of the American market. Excited to see how it continues to develop.
The value of high quality contacts made while at Soccerex is phenomenal. As mentioned, you’re constantly meeting new folks, and you don’t have the time to realize how many contacts you’re really meeting until once you get home. Not only is it a lot, they are high quality, and could potentially help drive your business in the future.
A good friend of the ISL team and founder of Sqwad sports, Nick Lawson, runs his own Sports Business podcast featuring interviews with sport business executives. The podcast, called The Inches (hyperlinked to the podcast), recently featured ISL’s Director of Business Development, Tim Bailey.
Nick and Tim dove into sponsorship best practices for the modern marketer, and specifically spoke on the value a rights holder can provide a brand through digital sponsorship assets and collateral.
While you’re sipping your coffee today, have a listen to Tim and Nick discuss what it takes in the sports marketing world.
This past fall, 77 girls from across the United States experienced a trip of a lifetime during the first all girls Barcelona Experience program. Over the 9 day trip, the group of girls enjoyed elite European training at World Class facilities, competed against European academies, learned from the teachings of leaders in the game, and explored the beautiful culture of Barcelona.
Equality in sport is of key importance to the ISL, and the ISL Travel Management team. It was an event to remember, and it won’t be the last.
Get in contact with someone from our travel management team at Experience@islagency-old.nntesting.com for more information on how we can help mange your next major travel plans.
We are excited to reveal our rebrand of ISL Futbol to ISL. Our new brand reflects the growth and evolution of ISL in the Sports Business industry. In the last 6 years, ISL has continuously connected the world’s biggest sports organization and athletes with their fans and properties all around the globe.
Our new brand provides the opportunity to better tell our story and align our expertise and services to our clients and customers.
This new symbol continues to hold onto the existing ISL Futbol expectations of what our original mark and values stood for, while simultaneously moving the brand forward. Our efforts were centralized around maintaining the iconic and recognizable mark, and was achieved by carefully deconstructing the existing mark and our history. Our rebuilding process informed our work and perspective as we developed our brand and story.
Be sure you’re following all of our social media handles found in the top right of this page for exciting announcements, news, blogs, videos and other great stories about our community around the world. Like, share, favorite, love, and get excited about the new brand.
We couldn’t have done all of this without your support, and we are extremely excited for this new chapter.
For more information on our brand, and the meaning behind it, read up below!
